Campus Carry Slated for 2017 at The Sunflower State University

Beginning July 1, 2017, students attending Kansas State University will be allowed to concealed carry on campus.

Currently, every building entrance on campus is equipped with a sturdy “gun-free zone” sign. Because of a Kansas State law, the K-State Weapons Advisory Work Group is working to draft the new policy that will allow students and faculty to concealed carry.

Under the new policy, all firearms must be in the owner’s possession, either secured in a holster or stored in a residence or vehicle. The securing of firearms will be the individual’s responsibility, as the university will not provide gun storage.

To make sure staffer members are in compliance of the new law, faculty are not allowed to designate their offices as gun-free zones. Should a faculty member decide to carry, they are not permitted to store their firearm in their university-owned office.

The new policy was submitted to the university’s Interim President, Gen. Richard Myers, for review in September. It is expected to go to the Kansas Board of Regents for approval in October.

“It [campus carry] has the potential to make people more comfortable with the fact that if there was an on-campus shooter, there’s more people that can bring them down as opposed to just campus security,” said sophomore Rose Micke.

While Second Amendment advocates see the move as a win for students and freedom, some faculty and staff are upset.

“It seems to me that the stress on students is often enormous: academic stress, financial stress, emotional stress, relationships,” said English Professor Elizabeth Dodd. “A campus is often a place that is emotionally intense. Again, I think it is a dangerous experiment to bring guns into that atmosphere.”

According to Vice President of Student Life Pat Bosco, a campus-wide survey found that 60 percent of faculty and 60 percent of students are opposed to the law.

Ironic, since concealed carriers do so to protect life.

Other universities across the state are also working on establishing firearms policies that are in line with the campus carry law.

“The reality is the law is the law and we have to comply with that,” said Allison Garrett, Emporia State University’s President. “There are of course a wide range of opinions about the law, but many individuals here at Emporia State, as well as other universities throughout the state, are not pleased that is the law and there are certainly some people who hold out hopes that might be changed. That being said, the law is the law and we certainly, as a university, want to do our best to comply.”

Anyone who has ever been on a college campus are chalking this up as a win. Personally, I was the victim of a violent crime when I lived on-campus. A concealed carry permit and a firearm would have armed me to protect myself. Instead, I was left defenseless in a gun-free zone.

Kudos to Kansas State for trusting their little sunflowers with more than just paying their student dues.

Beth Baumann is a public relations professional in Northern Idaho. Beth is a campaign veteran who has worked on numerous state and federal elections. In 2014, she was the Communications Assistant for the American Conservative Union, where she helped plan and execute media relations strategies for CPAC 2014. She is an avid Second Amendment supporter and advocate and loves fishing in her free time. You can follow her on Twitter at @eb454.
https://bearingarms.com/author/beth-b/